We are teachers, so we know the feeling of being time poor but still wanting to provide top notch lessons for our students! That is the magic of TpT (Teachers pay Teachers), it provides awesome resources for teachers that are actually created and tested by teachers!
TpT can be a game changer for ‘teacher life’, however, if you are anything like us we want to spend our time and/or money downloading quality resources that fit our lesson criteria and student needs. To help make this process a little easier, we have put together 10 tips that will help you find those quality resources that are going to have you delivering awesome lessons and hopefully saving you some precious time in the process:
1. Check for freebies first (you can do this by starting with a search and they sorting the results by price). There are some amazing free resources out there, some are even samples of larger resources you can purchase for a small price.
2. Look to see if the resources you are looking at link to the curriculum you use (a seller can indicate the American common core standards at the top of the product page but they might also list other curriculum links in their product description). For example, we are Australian so our products link to the Australian curriculum (ACARA) as well as the common core standards.
3. Read the description and look at the preview to see if it allows for differentiation and/or includes a teacher guide to help you. This can save you loads of time trying to adapt the resource to suit your student’s needs.
4. Check the number of pages the resource contains (find this at the top of the product page). Not all sellers on TpT list how many pages but it will give you an idea of what to expect once you have made your purchase.
5. View the preview. Look for high quality clipart, fonts that are student friendly and easy to read, and content that is relevant and rigorous. Some previews even contain photos of the resource in action that can be helpful to see if it is what you are looking for.
6. Skim through the feedback at the bottom of the product page to see what other teachers are saying about the product.
7. Check the seller out on social media. You might be able to see some of their products in action which may help you to decipher if their teaching style matches yours. We would highly recommend this if you are planning on purchasing a larger priced item.
8. Change up your search terms if you can’t find what you are looking for. For example: If you are looking for a Teacher Planner, you could also search the terms ‘Teacher Daybook’ or ‘Teacher Binder’. Also consider terminology used in other parts of the world to help you with this.
9. Use the sidebar on the TpT homepage to select the grade or subject you are searching for, this will help you find specific content that is relevant (keep in mind this is an American site when you are selecting grades or subject areas).
10. Use your country in the search bar after your keywords to help you find more relevant resources. For example: “Back to School Australia” or “Australian Money lessons”.
We hope these tips help you find resources so you can be the amazing teacher you want to be. Check out our TpT store here.
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